COLLINSVILLE, Okla. -- The Collinsville community is shaken after a 12-year-old student commits suicide.
The boy's shocking death comes just as the district begins training staff in suicide prevention. This started after they lost a student a little over three years ago.
The district started the Lifelines program. It begins with staff, then moves to parents and students, training them to recognize warning signs of suicide.
The school psychologist said after losing a middle schooler this month, they're learning to apply these lessons. She hopes more parents will have conversations about suicide at home.
"We can't really be scared to bring up that question. We're not going to plant the idea of suicide in someone's mind by asking about. They'll have already been thinking about it, or not. By asking them we actually give them the opportunity to take that deep breath, say it's okay to talk about this, and reach out and get some help," Jackie Johns said.
Collinsville Public Schools shared training with other districts across the region. Lessons for students on how to become an ally will start later this year.
For parents, a training will be at the middle school on February 12th from 5:30 - 6:30.
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